Dave Packer: Where do you stand in the discussion on black nationalism and socialism? Are African Americans a nation, or do they consider themselves to be one? Kwame Somburu: We are not a nation in the traditional meaning of the term.
There is a general unity of opinion that we share a common history and tradition of racist exploitation. and class oppression even though most of us would not use that term. The description of our past and preterms of race and class.
However, a common consensus of separation, assimilation. autonomy, or return to Africa. does not exist among us. There does not exist a unanimous definition of "Black Nationalism'. but there is a wide recognition of a common experience of 400 years of oppression, as African Americans.
Today, there are nearly 30 million African Americans. mostly concentrated in the ghettos of the big cities, who share this history Marxists should support the unconditional right of African Americans in their varying expressions of self-determination. whether it be for autonomous "I strongly believe Marxists should even initiating cultural, historical, racial awareness, and consciousness of the dual and even triple nature of the exploitation of African Americans" rate state, although we might not advocate the latter.
I also strongly believe that Marxists should be in the forefront of supporting and even initiating cultural, historical, sciousness of the dual and even triple nature of the exploitation of African Americans. Both sexes suffer racial, class and sexual oppression, while women of course suffer a double oppression as black women.
The sexist oppression of African American males is obviously not the same as with females. However, our gender oppression has earned us the definition "an endangered species' in the United States. be in the forefront of supporting and tremely negatively treated by For example. our oppressors. the lynchings, perpetrated by the Klu Klux Klan, of black males who were suspected of any kind of sexual relations with white women. D.P: But can nationalism be progressive? Kwame: Yes, the nationalism of an oppressed people is progressive - if it secks to unify the oppressed masses tional, cultural and class oppression for the purpose of their liberation. On the other hand, the nationalism of an oppressor or advocate of oppression seeks unity for the purpose of oppressing others.
Nationalism that secks to organize the masses pendently and in opposition to the oppressors and their col will. or necessity. become a class conscious nafionalism. That nationalism has the potential to become internationalism, and supportive of all struggles of the oppressed against the oppressor.
Marcus Garvey and Malcolm X each developed into both nationalists and internationalists. They wanted to organize the black masses nationally and intemationally. To me and many others, the Organisation of Afro-American Unity was the most promising of many organisational and programmatic attempts by African Americans to defeat the varying types of mental, cconomic, physical and cultural enslavement that we have been subjected to.
Malcolm's black nationalism in particular was inherently to the concrete reality of the black working Class concentrated in the ghettos of America's large cities.
The ruling classes and their supporters hated and feared them. knee potends to upset
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No.46, July 10 1993. Page 9